Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-12-24

the groom. " | thought I'd stop for YOU"
he said, speaking to Bob, who had reached
the road by this time, quite as much as
TO Mrs. Brandow, 'as | saw you were about
ready. We've lots of time" consulting his
watch.
1--WE are glad you did" said Mrs.
BRANDON graciously. What glorious
day we have" Bob said not a word.
He was bewiidered at the position his wife
had taken 50 quickly and calmly; his dis
comfture was increased by the appearance
of the cause of the trouble. He rode in
silence few rods, then said abruptly, adj
dressing his wife, with pointed emphasis,
81 think I'll ride around and pick up
Moulton. You don't need me now that
Minturn' S here" and he wheeled his
horse.
d" Very well" said Mrs. BRANDON in the
sweetest of tones and continued the
vivacious conversation she had already
started with the Master of the Foxhounds
without noticing her husbands fling.
Bob did not pick Moulton up In fact
| he knew very well, when he said he in
tended to, that Moulton did not hunt that
day. He rode alone to "The Corners
where the hounds were to be cast, and
arrived just as the pack gave cry and went
off
During the first half of the run the pace
was moderate, and he saw his wife a num-
Der Of times. She was riding well to the
| front each time he caught sight of her,
and the Master of the Foxhounds was at
her side. Bob was not watching Mrs.
BRANDON. The truth is, he had come to
the conclusion that he had made a mis-
take and gone too far. Her determined
avowal to stop hunting had frightened
him. He began to plan how he could best
make peace. He did not admit that he
had been wrong in demonstrating, but felt
that his remonstrance had been rather too
| strong.
He was in no mood for hard riding, and
toward the end of the run fell far in the
rear, riding along in an absent sort of way,
taking to the roads frequently and follow
ing the distant cry of the pack half con-
sciously. He finally quite unexpectedly
found himself at the finish, or rather at
the spot where the finish had been for the
whips and pack had vanished, and most of
the riders had started back to the kennels.
A few stragglers remained, breathing their
weary horses and stretching their own
limbs cramped by the long run.
As Bob appeared, a groom leading a
weary and fresh horse approached him.
1t was Kierney leading Mrs. Brandow's
tired hunter and the hack which was to
carry Bob home.
Mrs. BRANDON has gone on, sir" said
! Kiernev, us his master mechanically flung
the bride of his tired hunter to the man
and mounted the fresh horse "She said
you'd overtake her if you'd follow the
north pike; she's but bit a 'ead, and on
the white mare, sir" "All right, let them
come along easy" answered Bob, glancing
at the tired horses, and turning his hacks
! head he made the road, and started off at
a stiff canter.
He was glad his wife had left the mes
sage for him. He thought it signifed a
mood partially favorable to the apologies
he by this time had fully resolved to
make.
When he REACHED the north pike he saw
no riders ahead of him, but concluding
that he was too far behind to catch up had
slowed down to a walk, when his eye was
caught by two horses going across country
far off to the left, directly away from the
kennels. One of the horses was white and
ridden by lady; the other was dark he
recognized it at once as belonging to Min
turn. Besides, the Master of the Fox
hounds scarlet, glistening in the sun, left
not a doubt-no other rider had worn
scarlet that day.
What were they doing going across
country away from home at such lively
clip? Were they larking?" Mrs. Bran
dow never larked the white mare, and
they were riding at good clip. What
did it all mean? He turned his horse in
to lane and headed after the two riders.
He would overtake them and give Minturn
a piece of his mind If his wife was
young and did not realize how such
thing looked, Minturn was man of the
world and of experience, and should have
sense enough not to do such things 1t
was outrageous to go riding off together in
that manner. But what to do? They
were quickening the pace, and his hack
was not much OF a fencer. There was no
road that he could take to cut them off.
Should he start after them in earnest?
Yes, he would? He had had enough of
this sort of thing.
But how far would it be? Then an idea
struck him. Minturn might be trying to
catch the express for New York at Oneola
But if he was going to the city, why was
Mrs. BRANDON with him? And then
cold shiver came over Bob Could she be
going with Minturn? No, of course not
absurd thought. But-no, no; he was
crazy. And yet he quickeaed his horses
pace, still arguing that the idea was an
insane one.
But how could they go to town thus
he in pink and she in her habit They
might wire for coach and be driven to
the city. He had done the same thing on
several occasions himself, and the more he
thought of it the more the fear that his
wife was actually running away from him
gained on him. His attack had fastened
a plan already laid. Then he remembered
his wife's calmness and her assertion that
she would "yisit mamma or do something
to get beyond another such attack" also
her message to him through Kierney "to
follow the north pike" This last was to
throw him off the track
Again he laughed at himself for enter
tanning such thoughts, again he picked up
the thread and thought out more damning
evidence. A dozen little incidents,
dozen strong remarks which had seemed
insignificant at the time, came into his
head and he wondered that he had been so
blind before. 1t was useless he gave up
trying to deny the purpose of the two
! fugitives and determined to head them off
if he could. He shuddered as he thought
of the scene which would follow when he
denounced his wife He tried to plan in
what way he would kill Minturn. An
oath escaped his lips when he thought of
the news of the scandal reaching the clubs
He groaned as he looked forward into the
desolate future-for he was really passion
ately fond of his wife.
The riders ahead of him had settled
down to very hard riding and were making
straight for the little settlement which
surrounds OneDla station. They had not
I looked around since they started, and were
unaware that they were followed. Bob
glanced at his watch and understood why
I they hurried They had but eight minutes
and over two miles to go.
! The country become very stiff. Solid
post-and-rail fences, such as good sub
stantial Quakers built about the farms
/ they have received from their fathers and
intend to hand down to their sons, became
more frequent. The white mare and the
d